Verizon hopes to deliver superior call quality with VoLTE by early 2014

Verizon aims to offer Voice over LTE (VoLTE) by the end of next year. Nicola Palmer, vice president of network operations, said during a press briefing today that the carrier would aim to conduct field trials in late 2013 with the goal of launching commercial service soon after. VoLTE will enable Verizon to route calls over its LTE network, which is a more efficient and faster process that enables higher call quality.

MetroPCS is so far the only carrier to offer VoLTE in the U.S., but the option is limited to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Verizon expects to have its entire 3G footprint covered by LTE by the end of 2013, which should then enable the carrier to introduce VoLTE to consumers the following year. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has said that he expects VoLTE calling within two years, and Sprint said a year ago that it might introduce VoLTE in 2013, though it has not clarified that intention since unveiling its Network Vision strategy in May.